Oxfam's charity music download service went online today, appealing to listeners' better natures with the pledge that ten per cent of what they spend will go to fight poverty.

The service, Big Noise, won plaudits from conscientious rock stars such a Coldplay's Chris Martin.

Despite having a daughter named Apple, Martin doesn't appear too bothered that the service, powered by European digital distributor OD2, does not provide Mac OS support.

OD2's 300,000 songs are available for download via www.bignoisemusic.com. Buyers can get the same tracks from OD2's other customers, including ISP Tiscali, HMV, MyCokeMusic and MSN, but none of the money spent via those sites goes to Oxfam.

Big Noise Music is named after Oxfam's fair world trade campaign, Make Trade Fair, which essentially opposes all-out free trade and the current restricted regime in order to beenefit less advantaged producers and sustainable production. ®

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